Traore not dwelling on past

Queens Park Rangers defender Armand Traore says he has no regrets about his time at Arsenal, where he struggled for first-team football.

The Senegal international played just 13 times in his five-year stint under Arsene Wenger, while also enduring loan spells at Portsmouth and Italian giants Juventus.

Traore has already made eight appearances for Neil Warnock’s QPR side, but the 22-year-old was not bitter about his lack of game time in the Gunners shirt.

“I had a great time with Arsenal and I loved Arsenal. When I went to Portsmouth I was almost an Arsenal fan,” Traore said.

“I loved playing for Arsenal and I learnt a lot of things there like touch and technique. No regrets at all – I’m happy.”

Traore said he felt burdened by the expectation to perform at Arsenal whenever the limited chances fell his way, adding that he is a lot more at ease playing in west London.

“It was like every time you go to control a ball you feel like you can’t miss your touch or after that ‘I can’t miss my pass’,” he said.

“You worry about so many things and it’s just not good for your head and you’re not entirely focused. When you’re more relaxed, you can do more things. I think that was my problem.”

While he battled to meet expectations at the Emirates, Traore added that he is becoming more comfortable with dealing with the pressure of professional football.

“You’ve got a lot of people who are looking at you and judging you the next day so I know at the time I have had troubles with coping with the pressure but now I know how to cope with it,” he said.

“I’ve learned to cope with it. In my time at Juventus, I did as well and it’s going a lot better.”